Episodes

How do public health officials detect emerging viruses before they spread widely across the U.S.? Heather Reese, genomic epidemiology and preparedness team lead at CDC, tells us about the Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program: a cutting-edge effort that turns international travel into a…

Public health challenges don’t exist in neat categories, so why does funding? In this episode, Corinne Gillenwater, ASTHO senior analyst for chronic disease and health improvement, unpacks the limitations of traditional, siloed funding models and explores a more adaptive approach: flexible funding.…

What does it take to build a stronger, more resilient food system? In this episode, we speak with Nessa Richman, executive director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, about how the Council is bringing diverse stakeholders together to tackle complex food challenges, from farmers and fishers to…

Grants management doesn’t always get the spotlight, but it’s critical to how public health departments operate and deliver services. In this episode, Colton Anderson, a senior analyst in public health systems and improvement at ASTHO, explains how agencies across the country are rethinking and impr…

What does it take to turn a struggling performance management system into a national standout? Anna Bryant, performance manager at the Louisiana Department of Health, shares the story of how her team went from receiving an action plan after initial accreditation in 2019 to earning top recognition d…

At this year’s Spring Leadership Forum, momentum was unmistakable. With more than 40 health officials convening for a week of strategy, training, and direct engagement with federal leaders, a unified message emerged: the future of public health depends on sustained investment and smarter, more flex…

What if public health recruitment started with a summer camp? In this PHIG impact report, Veronika Hanna and Mondi Mason from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment share how creative workforce strategies powered by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) are opening new pathw…

Today: bringing oral health into the public health conversation with Flora Nathan, assistant secretary for the Bureau of Oral Health in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. At her first ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Flora shares a candid look at the challenges and opportunities of delivering oral…

The FY27 federal budget proposal is officially out, and while it’s just the opening move, there’s already a lot to unpack. In this episode, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, breaks down what’s in the proposal, what’s changed from last year, and what it all signals for p…

Public health doesn’t stop at hospitals or health departments, it lives in barbershops, grocery stores, schools, and small businesses. In this episode for National Public Health Week, Megan DeNubila-Griffin, ASTHO assistant director of chronic disease and health improvement, explores how agencies a…

In this National Public Health Week conversation about community leadership and tobacco control, Josh Berry, director, chronic disease risk factors, at ASTHO, breaks down how state and territorial programs partner with trusted, on-the-ground community organizations to reach at-risk populations and …

Scientific advancement has always been at the heart of public health, but as new technologies emerge, the opportunities and challenges are evolving. In this National Public Health Week conversation, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, explores how public health can better integrate inn…

As National Public Health Week kicks off, this episode spotlights a theme that often goes unnoticed but is essential to keeping communities safe: government partners. ASTHO CEO Dr. Joseph Kanter reflects on the “invisible wins” of public health, from behind-the-scenes planning for massive events li…

As the federal budget process stalls, uncertainty continues to ripple through Washington. ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, joins us to break down the latest on the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which is the longest on record, and what it means for th…

What happens when an entire health system is pushed to the brink of a funding cliff? In this episode, Dr. Victor Ramos Otero, secretary of health for Puerto Rico, joins the show to discuss the urgent challenges facing the island’s health care system.

What does it take to communicate clearly when the stakes are high and the science is complex? In this episode, Jessica Wieder, president of Teal Skies Consulting and former leader in external affairs at FEMA and EPA, shares how a career that started with a satellite crash simulation turned into two…

What if public health could predict outbreaks the way we predict the weather? In this episode, Jason Asher, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, joins us to explain how a new generation of data tools is transforming how we detect and respond to infectious diseas…

What does the future of public health look like, and what does it cost to build it? In this episode, ASTHO member Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of health for New York State, returns to the show to unpack the state’s $1.7 billion investment in a new, state-of-the-art Wadsworth Center Laboratory.

Long COVID didn’t end with the pandemic, and in some ways, the challenges are just beginning. In this episode, Heather Drummond, deputy director of the Center for Access to Whole Person Care for the Washington State Department of Health, joins us to discuss the myths, realities, and urgent gaps sur…

At this year’s ASTHO Spring Leadership Forum, Gaafar Uherbelau, Advisor to the President of Palau and former Minister of Health and Human Services, shared the story behind a long-awaited solution to a quiet but growing challe...

Suicide remains one of the most urgent and complex public health challenges in the United States, with more than 49,000 lives lost in 2023 alone. In this episode, ASTHO’s director of state health policy, JoAnne Deehr, breaks down how states are responding with more targeted, data-driven strategies.

Leadership in public health has never been more complex, and navigating conflict is a critical skill for today’s leaders. In this episode, Dawn Morriston, director of faculty advancement in the Office of Faculty Affairs and L...

In this episode: what happens after Hill Day wraps, and what’s next for public health funding. We talk with ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, Jeffrey Ekoma, about the fast-moving FY27 appropriations process and what it means for state and territorial health agencies.

How do you deliver specialty health care across a 14-island chain spread across the Pacific? In this episode we talk with Eleanor Cabrera, Chief Strategy Officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for the Commonwealt...